Watchcase



June 6, 1933. J. o. SIMPSON 1,913,217

WATCHCASE Filed July 27, 1952 Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN O. SIMPSON, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. INGRtAHAlll COMPANY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION WATCHCASE Application filed July 27, 1932. Serial No. 624,938.

This invention relates to watchcases, and particularly to cases for wrist-strap watches of the type in which there are provided at laterally opposite portions ofl'standing ears which furnish a means whereby the sections of the strap may be connected with the oas ing. These ears are ordinarily pierced to provide bearings for the pintles of strapconnecting members.

Such cases are usually formed of a front case member and a back case member, each of which is provided with an ofl'standing flange, and these flanges are preferably so proportioned that the flange of the back case member will telescope within the flange of the front case member to thus enclose the watch movement; complemental interengaging means being provided on theflanges of the two members for maintaining them in assembled relation.

Due to the arrangement of the case members with the flange of the front case member located exteriorly of the flange of the back case member, the ears, above referred to, are ordinarily provided upon the flange of the front case member, and it is'to the formation of this front case member, therefore, that the present invention is primarily directed, and in connection with which it will be described.

Due to the relatively small size of the cases of wrist-strap watches and the fact that they are formed by die-stamping operations, usually from sheet metal, it has heretofore been found necessary, in forming the ears referred to by means of complemental dies, to so design and arrange the side walls of the ears that the members of the male die by which they are formed may extend between these side walls and to thereafter fill in the space thus formed between the side walls with solder or other metal or material to guard against distortion and collapsing of the ears and to fill in and appropriately finish the ears and to provide therein bearings of adequate strength and extend for the pintles of the strap-connecting members.

Obviously, ears thus formed are rigid, and the strap-connecting means used in conjunction therewith ordinarily comprises a cylinder around which the strap bears, this cylinder being of a length to span the space between the opposed inner faces of the ears and being connected with the ears by a rod passing through it and through the bearings formed by the piercing of the ears and headed over or riveted at its ends against the exterior faces of the ears to prevent its disengagement. I v

It will be apparent that the operations of co filling in the spaces between the side walls of the ears with solder or the like, and the assembling of the strap portions with the cars by connecting means comprising the parts mentioned, entail a quite appreciable manufacturing cost which, when considered in connection with the production of wrist watches to sell at low retail prices, is out of all proportion to the sales value of the cases thereof.

Moreover, where a filling of solder or other material different from that of which the case member is formed is used between the walls of the ears, the case member cannot be plated with the desired uniformity due to this difference in material.

One object of the present invention is to provide a watchcase having all of the essential features of construction and appearance present in watchcases of the type manufactured as above explained but in which the ears are so formed as to materially reduce the cost of manufacture.

Another object, which is accomplished by virtue of the novel formation of the cars, is to provide connecting means for the strap portions which do not entail the expensive assembling operation employed as described, and which will take plating uniformly.

In accomplishing these objects, the strapattaching ears are formed without the necessity for the use of solder or other filling material, and they areof a sufiiciently resilient or deformable nature to admit of the use with them of a strap-connecting member made of a single piece and capable of being assembled between the ears with the strap applied to it by the simple expedient of spreading the ears to admit the pintles of the connecting member to its pierced bearings 100 and then returning the ears to normal position to lock the connecting member and the strap carried thereby in place.

lVith these objects in view, the invention contemplates a sheet material case member for wrist-strap watches, having a flange of the usual type, this flange provided with off standing ears furnishing a means for attachment of a strap to the case, the ears being formed integral with the flange and each comprising two thicknesses of the material of the flange arranged in intimate contact and pierced to provide bearings for a strapconnecting member of novel form, all as will be explained hereinafter more fully and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Fig. l is an interior plan view of a front case member of a wrist-strap watch of the baguette type embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof;

F l is an enlarged end elevation with the ears and strap-connecting member in section along the line ll of Fig. 1;

5 is a. fragmentary section taken 011 the line 55 of Fig. l, and on the scale of and showing a portion of a strap cona. ne ted with the case;

1 1g. 6 is an inside plan view of a case member partially shaped in accordance with the practice of the invention and Fig. 7 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view looking at the inside of the finished case member; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the strapconnecting member.

In forming a case member in accordance with the practice of the invention, a blank a is appropriately shaped up to the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7, portions Z) thereof being provided in the blank from which the ears are formed. After the blank has been given the shape illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, it is completed by straightening up the flange, closing together the two thicknesses of the ear-forming portions in intimate contact, cutting out the dial opening 0, piercing the ears, and thereafter plating, polishing and otherwise appropriately treating it to produce the finished article having, in general, the appearance illustrated in Fig. 8.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, it will be seen that the finished front case member thus produced comprises a bezel 1 delimiting the dial opening 0 and a continuous, unbroken, integral flange 2 provided at laterally opposite portions with pairs of cars of such configuration as to produce an attractive design free of objectionable angular contours, as illustrated particularly in Fig. 8. As indicated, each of the ears 3 is formed integral with the flange 2 and comprises two connected thicknesses of the material thereof in intimate contact.

The ears thus formed compare favorably in strength, appearance and functional efficiency with those formed in accordance with the now prevalent practice hereinabove referred to. However, they may be formed as described with such an appreciable saving in material and labor as to greatly enhance manufacturing expediency in the production of the case members.

Furthermore, as there is no combination of different materials in the cars, they may be provided with a uniform, equally-tenaciously-adhering plating over all of their exposed surfaces.

Moreover, when the ears are pierced as indicated at 4 to provide aligned bearing openings for the strap-connecting means, the bearings provided by such openings are of sufficient axial extent to impart the requisite strength to the strap connection.

The strap-connecting member comprises, preferably, a solid bar 5 having its ends reduced to provide pintles 6 and stop shoulders 7 and, when this bar is passed through the loop provided for it in the strap, it and the strap with it may be connected to the case member by the simple expedient of spreading the ears 3 relatively to each other sufliciently to permit the pintles 6 to enter the bearing openings 4, and thereafter returning the ears to their normal relationship as shown.

Obviously, by providing connecting means for the straps in the simple form of solid bars, with pintles integral therewith, and assembling them, with the straps applied to them, by the simple operations referred to, the assembling of the strap on the case is greatly simplified in comparison with this operation as now generally practiced.

Thus, in accordance with the invention, watchcases which are in all material respects the equivalent of those as now commonly constructed, and which in some respects are superior thereto, may be produced at a considerable saving in material and labor without sacrificing anything of symmetry of design,

strength and utility.

Various changes and modifications are considered to be within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sheet-metal case-member for wriststrap watches having a bezel and a flange integral therewith provided with offstanding ears furnishing a means for attachment of a strap, each of said ears formed integral with said flange and comprising two thicknesses of the sheet-metal of said flange folded together along a convexly-curved line forming the upper edge of the ear.

2. A sheet-metal case-member for wriststrap watches having a bezel provided with conVeXly-curved upper surface, and a flange integral therewith provided with offstanding ears furnishing a means of attachment of a strap, each of said ears formed integral with said flange and comprising two thicknessesof the sheet-metal of said flange folded together along a conveXly-curved line forming the upper edge of the ear, the convexly-curved upper edge of each ear blending with the convexly-curved upper surface of the bezel.

3. A sheet-metal case-member for wriststrap watches having a bezel and a flange integral therewith provided with oflstanding ears furnishing a means of attachment of a l strap, each of said ears formed integral with said flange and comprising two thicknesses of 1 the sheet-metal of said flange folded together along a convexly-curved line forming the upper edge of the ear, the thickness of each ear being substantially just twice the thickness of the original sheet-metal.

4. A sheet-metal case-member for Wriststrap watches having a bezel and a flange integral therewith provided with ofi'stand ing ears furnishing a means of attachment of a strap, each of said ears formed integral with said flange and comprising two thicknesses of the sheet-metal of said flange folded together along a convexly-curved line forming the upper edge of the ear, the thick ness of each ear being substantially just twice the thickness of the original sheet metal, and the distance of extension outward of each ear being greatly less its height.

5. A sheet-metal case-member for wriststrap watches having a bezel provided with a conveXly-curved upper surface, and a flange integral therewith provided with ofi'standing ears furnishing a means of attachment of a strap, each of said ears formed integral with said flange and comprising two thicknesses of the sheet-metal of said flange folded together along a convexly-curved line forming the upper edge of the ear, the thickness of each ear being substantially just twice the thickness of the original sheet-metal and the distance of extension outward of each ear being greatly less than its height, and the conveXly-curved upper edge of each ear blending With the conveXly-curved upper surface of the bezel.

6. A sheet-metal case-member for Wriststrap watches having a bezel and a flange integral therewith provided with ofi'standing ears furnishing a means of attachment of a strap, each of said ears formed integral with said flange and comprising two thicknesses of the sheet-metal folded together, the thickness of each ear being substantially just twice the thickness of the original sheet-metal, and the distance of extension outward of each ear being greatly less than its height.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

JOHN O. SIMPSON. 

